Letter-opening machine.



No. 896,415. PATENTED AUG. 18, 1908.

A. D. ROSS. LETTER OPENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28, 1908.

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ALEXANDER D. ROSS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 1

LETTER-OPENING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER D. Ross, citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Opening Machines,of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in letteropening machines of that type that embody a revoluble cylinder or wheelwith an abrasive surface or periphery designed to file off theedge of asealed envelop.

Machines of this character have heretofore been commerciallyunsuccessful, owing to the paper filings or dust occasioned by their useand which has established unpleasant and unhygienic conditions whichhave not been compensated for by the rapidity and ease by which lettersmay be opened. This failure to control the dust and to eliminate theunhealthful conditions consequent upon such failure has been a factorwhich has heretofore rendered the successful introduction of thesemachines almost prohibitory, and my invention has for its primary objectto overcome these defects and to provide a machine which will bepractically dustless.

With these and other objects in view as will more fully appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions,arrangements, and combinations of the parts that I shall hereinafterfully describe and then point out the novel features in the appendedclaims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved letter opening machine;Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section thereof; Fig. 3 is a detailsectional view through the abrasive cylinder Fig. 4 is a detailperspective view of one of the dust deflectors, and Fig. 5 is a detailfragmentary view illustrating the screen portion of the door of the dustcollecting chamber.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The cabinet 1 of my improved letter opening machine may be of anydesired size and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28, 1908.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Serial No. 423,912.

shape, preferably rectangular, and it embodies a front 2, a back 3, anda lid or top 4 which is preferably hinged at its rear edge.

An abrasive element, which in the present instance is in the form of acylinder 5, which may be of any desired diameter and width, is journaledin the cabinet 1 to rotate about its central horizontal axis upon anysuitable supports 6 secured in the cabinet as by the cross pieces 6 Thecylinder 5 may be rotated in any desired manner, as by an electric motor7 mounted in the cabinet and having any desired driving connection withthe cylinder. The cylinder 5 has an abrasive periphery which ispreferably composed of coarse Garnet paper, although it is to beunderstood that any abrasive surface may be employed.

The periphery of the cylinder 5 projects to any desired extent upwardlythrough and sweeps across an opening 8 formed in the top 4 of thecabinet, and a slide 9 is adapted to partially close said opening, saidslide being formed at one end with a roll or curl 10 contiguous to theopening and being also formed with a longitudinally extending series ofnotches or indentations 11 designed to engage with the teeth 12 of thegravity actuated dog 13 mounted to swing in the cabinet underneath thelid, whereby to automatically move the slide 9 to its closed position.

14 designates a coin tray which may be in the nature of a box or trough,or a shelf, if desired, and which is secured in the cabinet at the frontthereof just below the lid 4. This tray 14 is primarily designed tocatch coins or other articles which may be loosely contained within theletters that are being opened, but it also has a secondary, and no lessimportant function of intercepting the dust or paper filings from thepackage or bundle of papers being opened, the inner end of the trayextending close to the periphery of the cylinder, as clearly illustratedin the drawings.

Just below the coin tray 14, the sloping floor 15 of a dust box issecured in the cabinet, said dust box being a practically air tightchamber incasing the wheel or cylinder 5. The rear end of this dustcollecting chamber is defined by a door 16 which is hinged to the rearof the cabinet to swing outwardly therefrom and which is preferably aframe occupying the entire rear end of the dust box and paneled withthin muslin and wire netting, as indicated at 17.

A dust deflector 18 is secured within the cabinet in the dust collectingchamber, being in the present instance fastened directly to one of thecleats 6, said deflector being preferably of sheet metal and curvingupwardly and forwardly into close proximity to the periphery of thecylinder 5. Just above the deflector 18 is a corresponding deflector 19which is located just underneath the rear hinged end of the lid or top4.

In addition to the tray 14 and deflectors 1'8 and 19, I have providedstill another deflector designated 20 and preferably composed of a wireframing to which is secured a body portion of thin muslin and wirenetting. This deflector 20 is semicylindrical as shown, with closed endsand is hinged along its rear edge to swing upwardly and backwardly onthe lid 4, said deflector being designed to project partially across theopening formed in the lid, and being provided with an inturned free edge21 in proximity to the periphery of the cylinder 5. Coacting with thissemicylindrical deflector 20, is a guard 22 which is secured within thedeflector 20 to the adj acent wall of the opening 8 and which curvesforwardly, upwardly and thence rearwardly as shown, so as to form withthe adjacent portion of the deflector 20, a contracted throat to directthe dust laden air into the deflector 20. 23 designates a plateextension which has a slot and stud or screw connection with the frontedge of the deflector 20, so that more or less of the rear side of theopening 8 may be covered by said deflector, as desired.

In the preferred practical operation, or use of my improved letteropening machine, a handful of letters is taken in both hands and theyare smartly rapped on the top 4 so as to jar the inclosures to thebottom to bring their edges even. The letters are then reversed with thetop side down, that is, with the address towards the operator andupside-down. They are then shaken lightly until all of the edges aredown evenly. The bundle of letters is then grasped with both hands withthe thumbs as close to the bottom as can be done with safety and theyare then pressed downwardly between the deflector 20and the roll 10 ofthe sliding plate 9, said plate being thereby slid towards the operatorso as to expose the portion of the abrasive periphery of the cylinder 5.The letters are then pressed very lightly against the cylinder with asliding movement from leftto right, or vice-versa, one slide beinsufficient, and they are reversed end for en and shaken even and givenanother slide. In this last operation, it will be understood that theaddress is up-side-down, as above, but away from the operator, so thatby thus reversing the letters, all portions of the envelops are pressedagainst the cylinder and the envelops are thereby effectually opened.The instant the letters are removed, the weighted dog 13 slides theplate 9 backwardly again so as to close or extend over the exposedportion of the cylinder 5.

It is of course to be understood that the cylinder 5 rotates veryrapidly, and the dust or filings are a factor that is hard to control.This object is obtained by my machine, as by the tray 14 whichconstitutes the flrst check. The tray 14 serves to check the dust or anything which passes through the throat of the machine constituted by theopening 8. Passing the tray 14, the dust laden air strikes against thesloping floor 15 of the dust box and is impinged against the door 16 inthe back of the cabinet, the reticulated or foraminous body portion ofsaid door serving to'con'line the dust in the box while at the same time)ermitting the air to escape. The greatest force of the dust laden airis thrown against the door 16, said door permitting the air to escapewhile the dust, or at least nearly all of it settles in the chamber uponthe floor 15 thereof. If the rapidity of the disk 5 should cause some ofthe dust to be carried upwardly in the dust chamber, it will meet withthe deflectors 18 and 19, and if any dust passes these points, it willbe deflected into the throat between the guard 22 and thesemicylindrical deflector 20 and settle in the deflector back of theguard, while the screenlike character of the deflector will ermit theair to pass freely therethrough. H nce it will be seen that the dust andair is effectually separated and that the uncomfortable and unhygienicconditions that are incidental to the use of a machine of this characterwithout my improvements, are entirely eliminated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A machine of the character described, comprising a cabinet, anabrasive element mounted in said cabinet, the cabinet being formed witha throat across which the abrasive element is arranged to sweep, saidcabinet embodying a dust collecting chamber in casing said abrasiveelement, and a screen secured to the cabinet at one side of saidchamber.

2. A machine of the character described, comprising a cabinet formedwith a throat, an abrasive element mounted to travel in said cabinet andarranged to sweep across said throat, said cabinet embodying a dustcollecting chamber and a door at the rear side of said chamber, saiddoor embodying a screen.

3. A machine of the character described, comprising a cabinet, formedwith a throat, an abrasive element mounted to travel in said cabinet andsweep across said throat,

the cabinet embodying a dust collecting chamber incasing the abrasiveelement, and having a wall sloping downwardly and rearwardly underneaththe same, and a screen at the rear side of said chamber.

4. A machine of the character described,

comprising a cabinet embodying a lid formed with a throat, an abrasiveelement mounted to travel in the cabinet and to swee across the throat,a deflector secured to saic lid and arranged to project partially acrossthe throat, and a guard secured to the lid within the deflector andspaced from the free edge thereof.

1 5. A machine of the character described comprising a cabinet formedwith a throat, an abrasive element mounted to travel in the cabinet andto sweep across the throat, and a deflector secured to the cabinet andarranged to project partially across the throat, said deflector beingprovided with an adjustable extension at its free edge.

6. A machine of the character described, comprising a cabinet formedwith a throat, an abrasive element mounted to travel in the cabinet andsweep across the throat, a slide secured to the cabinet, and meanstending to move the slide in a direction to extend across the throat.

7. A machine of the character described, comprising a cabinet formedwith a throat, an abrasive element mounted to travel in the cabinet andto sweep across the throat, a slide secured to the cabinet and formed atone end with a roll contiguous to the throat, and means tending to movethe slide in a direction to project across the throat.

8. A machine of the character described, comprising a cabinet, anabrasive element mounted to travel in said cabinet, said cabinet beingformed with a throat adapted to expose a portion of the abrasiveelement, a slide secured to the cabinet and adapted to be moved in adirection to extend across the throat, said slide being formed with aseries of notches, and a weighted dog mounted in the cabinet and formedwith teeth meshing in said notches.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER D. ROSS.

W'itnesses:

AMELIA SPALDING, WM. VAIL.

